Senior Food Scientist

Monterey Mushrooms, Inc; California; On-site; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Monterey Mushrooms, Inc. is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to join our R&D team in Royal Oaks, CA. You will drive sensory evaluation, standardize sensory protocols, and ensure product quality across mushroom ingredients and extracts.

The ideal candidate has a strong background in food chemistry, experimental design, and data-driven process improvements, with 3–8+ years of experience in ingredient development. This role offers full-time, on-site work with competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Chemistry or related discipline.
• 3–8+ years in food ingredient development or product development.
• Strong understanding of food chemistry and ingredient interactions.
• Experience with sensory evaluation methodologies and sensory panel development.
• Knowledge of ingredient processing technologies including extraction, concentration, drying, emulsification, and powder processing.
• Excellent communication and technical writing abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead sensory evaluation of mushroom powders, extracts, and finished ingredients.
• Develop and maintain sensory standards for flavor, aroma, color, texture, solubility, and overall product performance.
• Create standardized sensory evaluation protocols and train internal team members.
• Evaluate every production lot to ensure products meet established sensory specifications.
• Identify sensory trends and root causes of variation; recommend corrective actions.
• Develop a deep understanding of cultivation, extraction, concentration, drying, and manufacturing processes.
• Design and execute experiments to improve product quality and consistency.
• Collaborate with operations and engineering to optimize processes.
• Troubleshoot production issues using data-driven approaches.
• Research and develop novel extraction technologies and ingredient processing methods.
• Evaluate emerging food technologies for applications in ingredients.
• Develop new ingredient formats with improved sensory properties.
• Support commercialization from concept to production scale-up.
• Stay current on scientific literature and industry trends.

Skills

Sensory evaluation

Statistical analysis

Food chemistry

Experimental design

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s in Food Science/related

Master’s in Food Science/related

Job description

We Don’t Just Pick Good People, We Grow Them

When it comes to joining the Monterey Mushrooms ® team, what you know about mushrooms matters a lot less than what you’re made of. Mushroom growing is unique, even within the diverse produce industry.

From coast to coast, we look for humble, hardworking, and down-to-earth people. Our cultural character exudes trust, respect, integrity , and passion.

At the heart of our operation, we’re farmers, and some of our most important work happens wearing jeans and boots. From pickers to vice presidents, we get our hands dirty!

From the highest levels of management to our employees in every corner of our operation, we’re a loyal bunch. Husbands, wives , and generations of families work side-by-side, for decades. Maybe it’s because we invest our time in tending the people we already have, growing together and promoting from within. In fact, many of our management joined Monterey Mushrooms as growers on our farms.

So if you’re the kind of humble and down-to-earth hard worker that folks rely on, find yourself a spot and grow with us.

Position:Senior Food Scientist

Location: Royal Oaks, CA

Job Id:1183

# of Openings:1

Reporting To: VP of Nutraceuticals

FLSA Status: Full Time Exempt

Work Schedule: Generally, Monday – Friday, 8AM – 5PM

Compensation: The following information is provided in honesty as a general description of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the successful candidate is dependent upon related factors such as skills, experience, education, etc. Salary Estimate: $120,000 - $145,000 DOE

For more than 45 years, Amycel ® has helped shape the way commercial mushrooms are grown. From the proprietary strain genetics behind some of the most widely grown brown mushrooms in the world, to grower-to-grower field support that starts on the farm, mushroom operations around the globe rely on Amycel to perform.

Premium spawn. Trusted supplements. A relentless focus on quality and consistency. That foundation has not changed since 1979. What has changed is scale. Today Amycel serves commercial growers across the Americas and Europe, with production and support on three continents.

Our R&D program runs 32 dedicated test rooms focused on new genetics and inputs that help growers get more from every crop. Current priorities include:

• Strains developed for higher yield and reduced water use
• Kodiak, launching Summer 2026, requires up to 50% less water for the same yield
• Spawn carriers engineered to reduce green mold and compost waste
• Delayed-release supplement technology that protects compost and extends flush viability

Monterey has spent more than 55 years getting to know mushrooms. Refining cultivation methods. Discovering and developing new strains. That depth of expertise is what drives Monterey Nutra.

Our nutraceutical division was built on the science behind our genetics program. The same rigor that produces better spawn produces better extracts. The result: full‑suite mushroom ingredients with industry-leading potency and purity, optimized for solubility, clean taste, and consistent performance.

We partner with innovators across food, beverage, and wellness to help them formulate better products. Whether you are building a new supplement line or looking for a reliable functional ingredient supplier, Monterey Nutra gives you the tools to do it right.

Certified Organic. Non‑GM. Vegan. Third‑party tested.

Monterey and its divisions, Amycel, Spawn Mate & Nutra are a portfolio of Paine Schwartz Partners (PSP), who invested in the business in May 2022. PSP is a global sustainable food‑chain investment private equity firm based in California and New York. The firm invests in middle‑market companies across North America and Europe. PSP is exclusively focused on investing in food and agribusiness companies and brings a collaborative and active management approach to its portfolio companies.

Over the past 20‑+ years, PSP (together with certain predecessor and related entities) has invested $5.7 billion of equity capital across 87 food and agribusiness investments (including 31 platform transactions), representing over $10.0 billion of total transaction value. Currently, the fund’s portfolio is comprised of 17 food and ag companies and a total of $6.5 billion in AUM. PSP recently held its final closing for Fund VI at $1.7 billion, which was above its original target of $1.5 billion and 17% bigger than its previous $1.4 billion Fund V.

of any industry, we believe food and agribusiness presents perhaps the greatest opportunity to simultaneously create value and drive positive impact through responsible investment practices. PSP is committed to addressing imminent challenges facing the food and agriculture sector by championing companies that provide innovative solutions around food security, economic growth, human rights, positive environmental impacts and health products. With an intensive focus on Sustainability & ESG, we are a proud signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment, the global leading proponent of incorporating ESG factors in investment decisions and processes. To this end, these investments are deeply aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as zero hunger, clean water and sanitation and climate action, among many others. For more information on Paine Schwartz Partners, please visit www.paineschwartz.com.

Why This Role Matters:

Monterey Nutra is seeking an innovative, hands‑on Food Scientist to join our Research & Development team. This role will be responsible for ensuring the sensory quality, consistency, and performance of our functional mushroom ingredients while driving the development of next‑generation extraction technologies and ingredient innovations.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in food chemistry, sensory science, ingredient functionality, and food processing. They are equally comfortable evaluating products in the lab, analyzing manufacturing data, and working alongside production teams to improve processes and develop new technologies.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of one of the fastest‑growing categories in functional nutrition.

What You’ll Own:

Sensory Science & Quality

• Lead sensory evaluation of mushroom powders, extracts, and finished ingredients.
• Develop and maintain sensory standards for flavor, aroma, color, texture, solubility, and overall product performance.
• Create standardized sensory evaluation protocols and train internal team members.
• Evaluate every production lot to ensure products meet established sensory specifications.
• Identify sensory trends and root causes of variation and recommend corrective actions.

Process Development & Manufacturing

• Develop a deep understanding of our cultivation, extraction, concentration, drying, and manufacturing processes.
• Determine how processing parameters influence flavor, aroma, color, functionality, and ingredient performance.
• Design and execute experiments to improve product quality and consistency.
• Collaborate closely with operations and engineering teams to optimize manufacturing processes.
• Troubleshoot production issues using scientific and data‑driven approaches.
• Research and develop novel extraction technologies and ingredient processing methods.
• Evaluate emerging food technologies and their application to functional mushroom ingredients.
• Develop new ingredient formats with improved sensory properties, solubility, stability, and functionality.
• Support commercialization of new products from concept through production scale‑up.
• Stay current on scientific literature and industry trends related to food science, extraction technology, and functional ingredients.

Analytical & Technical Responsibilities

• Interpret analytical data alongside sensory observations to guide product improvements.
• Maintain detailed experimental records and prepare technical reports.
• Work with cross‑functional teams including Quality, Operations, Sales, and Regulatory.
• Help establish product specifications and quality standards for new ingredients.
• Assist in validation of new manufacturing processes and product claims.

What’s The Right Fit:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Food Chemistry, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
• 3–8+ years of experience in food ingredient development, food manufacturing, or product development.
• Strong understanding of food chemistry and ingredient interactions.
• Experience with sensory evaluation methodologies and sensory panel development.
• Knowledge of ingredient processing technologies including extraction, concentration, drying, emulsification, and powder processing.
• Strong experimental design and statistical analysis skills.
• Excellent communication and technical writing abilities.

Monterey Mushrooms, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Learn More About Our Company Culture

Head on over to our about page to learn more about what makes us Monterey Mushrooms. Our moral principles of trust, respect, integrity, shared vision, empowerment, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement are reflected in our vision and purpose.